School Ball Theme Ideas

Looking for school ball theme ideas? Here are some fantastic theme ideas to get the creative juices flowing and to help you with decorating your school ball, party or corporate event.

1920′s The Great Gatsby

Get lost in a world of Flapper dresses, Vintage Glamour and millionaire 20′s Style. Get it all with this great theme idea. Gold and black table dressings and centrepieces. Chandeliers and lavish decorations. Give your twenties inspired event a twist by asking all your guests to attend in attire that fits the era or dress up your staff – flapper dresses, bobbed wigs, pinstriped suits, fedoras, and more. Set the mood for your party with an Art Deco inspired invitation. Serve sparkling grape and apple juices for toasts and really enjoy your night in swinging ‘20’s style. The Great Gatsby is here. Enjoy it while it lasts.

1920′s The Prohibition

Secret Passwords, sneaking around hoping not to be caught. A Prohibition theme can be great fun. It’s the time of the prohibition. Yes we have taken you back in time to the roaring 20s, the time of illicit gambling and drinking, feather boas and cigarette holders, black and white silent movies and of course… the Charleston! After guests give the password at the secret door, they may be surprised to receive their first 1920’s pre dinner drink in tea cups but it’s the time of the prohibition and they are now in an illicit 1920’s drinking den (so as not to arouse suspicion of the long arm of the law). It is pre dinner drinks in tea cups adding to the Prohibition feeling. Chicago 1920s jazz clubs.

1970′s

Take a trip back to the 70′s. A time of Disco jumpsuits and bellbottoms. Bright colours and a vintage look can bring any venue to life. The 70s is a fun theme. The costumes and music alone are enough to make a party. Another plus is that it was recent enough to have plenty of artefacts you can use to set the mood. You could find some old clothes in parents cupboards and there’ll be family photos that give clues too. The 70s was a time of mini-skirts, platform shoes, wide lapels and ties and mullet hairstyles. No respectable disco party is complete without a Disco Ball hanging from the ceiling! Disco Balls or Mirror Balls are an easy way to set the mood and show your guests you mean business, 70’s style.

1980′s

The 80′s were full of peace and love. From hippy fashions, right through to vintage arcade games. You can have a lot of fun with this theme by decorating your venue in bright neon colours, and speaking to your local event decorators about what you can do with the space that you have. Suggest that teachers and students brush off their eighties gear and show up in theme. Eighties themed music organised with your DJ or band to can also help with setting the theme. So get ready to experience the eighties. Because really? …. who wouldn’t want to remember the neon tights, big hair, leg warmers, rubics cubes and hair bands.

African Safari

Jungle animals, Jeeps and wild adventures await you with this great ball theme idea. Lions, antelopes, and zebras roam your Africa themed event. Design a night of animal prints, tribal music, and earthen colours for your school’s African ball theme. Use green crepe paper streamers to drape “vines” across your ceiling. Place lots of potted plants around the party area for a jungle feel… ferns and palm trees would be perfect. Animal print balloons are another fun touch. Scattering them all around the party area will add to the safari adventure! You can also make fun signs like “Elephant Crossing” or “Don’t Feed the Animals” and post them around your party area.

Alice in Wonderland

Down the rabbit hole we go. Alice in Wonderland can be a very exciting theme. Mad Hatters and tea parties. Crazy and weird decorations. This can be achieved quite easily with some help from your local ball decorators. Transform any venue into a fantastic Wonderland, well worth chasing the rabbit down into. An Alice in Wonderland theme party is perfect for a unique school ball. Feel free to let your imaginations run wild, with great costume opportunities and small tables set up for intimate tea parties. Top Hats and mushrooms as centrepieces and maybe even dress your security up as card-guards.

Arabian Nights

The time of Aladdin, Open Sesame and magic carpet rides. Arabian Nights can be a very exciting theme idea for those wanting to host a great school ball, to be remembered. Plant an oasis for your Arabian event theme with fabulous palms. Don’t forget the water — blue chiffon helps you create a dreamy spot of water. Add festivity with a perfumed bottle ring toss or a gold coin treasure hunt that leads to a prize genie lamp! An Arabian nights theme party can transport guests into a fairytale to feel as if they are in a palace setting full of magic and mystery.

Bollywood

The Bollywood theme is very rich in vibrant colours and unusual textures. Pure elegant decadence in every form. It can be a lot of fun to put together. Sprinkle some fun Bollywood songs, or Remixes throughout the night to suit your tastes and make the night more authentic. Bollywood movies tend to be rather dramatic and sometimes unrealistic. So stylize your decorations and theming around this idea. Think sparkle. Mirrored or sequined wall hangings, pillows, candleholders, or picture frames will bring a glitzy, glittering effect, especially if combined with candles. Divide your space: Spread out a large straw mat to define a dance floor, pile floor pillows in various nooks and corners. Be loud, Be obnoxious. Be Crazy, Be truly Bollywood.

Carnival alternatively known as Circus

Carnival or Circus themes are guaranteed to be three rings of fun. This theme idea can be great if you want to do something a little different. Stilt Walkers, Jugglers and fire dancers can be a great add on to this exciting theme. Set up a ticket booth and have an adult or older child wearing a top hat hand each of your guests a string of tickets when they arrive. These tickets can later be redeemed for favours. Think in colours like red, blue and yellow when selecting decorations and party ware. Use colourful sheets and blankets or plastic tablecloths to make your party area look like the inside of a circus tent. You can hang them from ropes suspended from trees, tent poles, or from the ceiling. You can also drape red and white streamers from the ceiling to create a canopy.

Caribbean

White Beaches, Clear crisp blue oceans and island sounds await you in this Caribbean style theme. Bright blooms and floral leis should fill the room. Bring the beach indoors by adding sand and bringing in beach chairs for guests to lounge in. Serve colourful punch and food items containing ingredients such as coconut, pineapple and mango. Use natural-fabric white linens -tablecloths and overlays. Accent with linen napkins in brilliant colours: fuchsia, turquoise, orange or yellow. Find fresh orchids, Heliconia, hibiscus or birds of paradise for centrepieces. Use silver trays for fruit displays, serving drinks or under wooden snack bowls. Palm foliage is a must. Purchase as much as you can and use creatively with flowers, fruit, tied around napkins, attached to the bar.

Gangsters

Although the modern gangster can sometimes be portrayed as glamorous, the 1920s and ’30s was arguably the golden age for gangsters. Back then, gangsters disguised danger with the clean-cut class of zoot suits and fedoras. Set up a photo booth for all of your crime causing friends to get their mug shot taken for the line-up. You can decorate your walls with gangster silhouette cut outs and gangster street signs to give your guests the feel of the roaring 20’s and 30’s. Choose black and white as the color scheme for the party, especially for the balloons and streamers. Hang movie posters or photos of famous mafia members on the walls.

Heaven and Hell

Have you been naughty or nice? Heaven and hell is a fantastic way to separate the pack. Demons and angels, Red, Black and White. Your chance to be an angel or a devil for the night. While wearing horns on your head or wings on your back, the heaven and hell party is always fun theme. Decoration is easy for this theme. Basically stick with anything that is the colour red, white, or black. Also anything that can be used as a pun on heaven or hell! In keeping with the theme, serve red and white bites and drinks. For food, we recommend an array of traditional appetizers (cheeses, meats, vegetables) with Angel Cake in heaven and Red Velvet cake in hell.

Hollywood

Go glam or go home is the theme of the night when you decorate for the Hollywood Theme. Include spotlights, velvet ropes and ‘paparazzi,’ to give it more of a Hollywood feel. Serve a selection of fancy appetizers, such as shrimp cocktail and non-alcoholic cocktails. Students can wear sunglasses like many of the stars, and dress in red carpet worthy dresses and tuxedos. You’ll be entered in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Walk down the red carpet, through the golden ropes and see what sort of superstar treatment is waiting inside. So live like a celebrity – even if only for just one night.

James Bond

Are you ready to be a secret agent? Well step into the world of James Bond, Agent 007. Although black-tie affairs are losing their popularity, most people are still up for strutting their stuff as James Bond. Throw a James Bond-themed school ball — everyone knows James Bond and will enjoy playing the bad-boy hero. Just make sure the drinks are shaken, not stirred. This is a great opportunity to mix good times and cool decor. Pay homage to the iconic spy movies with Aston Martin cut-outs, a roulette table, posters from the movies and giant playing cards. If you are looking for something a little less obvious, recreate a specific scene from a movie, like Fort Knox’s room full of gold bars or Blofeld’s volcanic lair. Use your imagination–your choices are limitless.

Las Vegas

Let the good times roll with our big stakes, high dollar – make them want to holler – Las Vegas Theme. Your guests will be rolling in the dough when you introduce them to a night of gaming, drinks, and fun friendly camaraderie. This can be a great way to do something different. Hire out roulette and craps tables, have a couple of croupiers. A fun way to add to an already amazing night. Casino night themes are exciting because they offer entertainment other than dancing. Decorate with traditional red, black and white décor. Include classic casino games such as blackjack or roulette. Give students a set amount of chips to play with when they enter the door.

Masquerade

Everyone loves a little mystery. Add to the awesome atmosphere of your school ball by turning it into a Masquerade. Create a glamorous evening with a masquerade theme! Guests will love to choose a mysterious look for the night, and you can complement their great masks with fabulous masquerade theme decorations! Unlike a costume party, which focuses on familiar faces in funny outfits, the masquerade is all about mystery. Playing on the decadence of disguise, guests wear full face masks, fitted with fixed expressions, which allow all to mingle, flirt and forge new relationships as strangers, whether they are close friends or new acquaintances. A true masquerade party encourages guests to conceal their identities from one another until the final dance at midnight which ends in the unmasking.

Medieval

Here Ye! Here Ye! Recreate a time of daring knights and beautiful princesses by holding your very own medieval themed school ball. Long dining tables for banquet styled meal. Marked by the poetry of Beowulf, the stories of King Arthur and Gothic architecture, most people know the achievements and beauty of the medieval period. Craving giant turkey legs and mugs of frosty ale? So, why not get gather up your friends and family to create a medieval feast fit for a king. Decorate your dining area with an emphasis on the traditional golden fleur de lies, line your walls with suits of armour, Castle Towers, put a cardstock 3-D wall torch with flame between the suits of armour, or hang festive medieval pennant banners along the ceiling.

Moulin Rouge

A Moulin Rouge–theme party is a great way to excite guests and incite fun. With elaborate decorations, costumes and food, this party is sure to please any crowd. Plan a Moulin Rouge party for a crowd that is risqué and has lots of energy. Have some fun with the Moulin Rouge party theme and hire a unique entertainer for the evening. Purchase and design decorations that embody Paris and the Moulin Rouge cabaret setting. Finally, serve a cake at the Moulin Rouge theme party that is representative of either the trademark red windmill on the roof of the Moulin Rouge or the 2001 motion picture movie of the same name.

Narnia

Welcome to an enchanted evening with magical sights and mystical acts. Your first impressions of the venue will lead you to believe that you have walked into someone’s bedroom, with traditional furniture and old pictures adorning the walls. As you enter through the large wooden wardrobe, push your way through endless large fur coats until you emerge somewhere completely new. The world you step out into couldn’t be more different from the bedroom. Covered in snow absolutely everything looks white and sparkly. Immediately in front of you looms a lone street lamp, throwing a pool of white light on the snow and the trees surrounding it. Fir trees glitter with tiny lights and snow covers the branches.

New York

Take a hearty bite out of the Big Apple by making your next bash a New York City theme school ball. City theme props, kits and decorations are gorgeous, and there’s such a collection you’ll need to consider the party space and how many skyscrapers it can hold. Once you’ve determined your space needs and accommodations, select your buildings and monuments, newsstands and taxis. Note that choice of props will also help you dress the party up or down. Whether photorealistic or stylized, simple or busy, the backdrop must harmonize with the props. To re-create NYC’s nightly glow, backlight your props with red spotlighting and a plain background.

Once Upon a Time

Fairytales and happy endings, every young girl has dreamed of being in a fairytale. Now you can be. The decorations should look like they come right out of a storybook and include castle walls, climbing vines, and maybe even a carriage backdrop. Include lots of shimmery pinks, purples, and forest greens into your decor to give the impression of a fairy tale-like forest. Take on a Character and have fun guessing who everyone else is. You can even have fun renaming your menu’s to suit your once upon a time theme. Into Story book we go with this great theme idea.

Oriental

Creating decorations for your Oriental theme ball can be as simple or elaborate as you choose. Start with basic, chic decor and add in theme elements for a bigger impact. Cover banquet tables with black table covers and runners of red gossamer for an elegant Asian look. Use lantern lights strung in rows and pagodas to transport guests to an evening in the orient! Begin with a rich colour scheme of red, black, and gold and add in traditional accents. Asian decor is very sleek and minimalist. For the centrepiece simply use dark wooden boxes as pedestals to hold decorative items such as a small Buddha statue.

Paris

Looking for romance? Paris is the place. The Paris night background and Eiffel Tower bring the ambiance of the city to your party hall. Fill the floor with silver and black balloons. The City of Love is always popular for romantic prom themes. In addition to an Eiffel Tower model, you can bring other elements of French culture to your prom. Serve traditional French foods, including banquettes, cheese, fresh crepes and light pastries. Play up the city of lights aspect by accenting with different types of lanterns, strands of white lights and streetlights. Set up other French-inspired scenes, such as park benches and fountains. Set up small 2 or 4 person cafe style tables to mimic the romance of a couple’s city.

Peter Pan

You can go on an unforgettable adventure to Never Land with this great theme. All you have to do is think happy thoughts, believe in fairies and magic. And decide to never grow old. We all need a little pixie dust, so we can fly to Never Never land and be reminded of treasure hunts, and of adventures in a land where adults are not allowed. Encourage teachers and students alike to dress up in theme to make the night even more exciting. Decorations can be Never Never land themed or even pirate ship themed. Who really wants to grow up anyway?

Pirates of the Caribbean

Set sail on the high seas with this great theme. Treasure and fortunes can be found everywhere. Who says kids get to have all the fun? If you’re dying to unleash your inner “Arrrrgh!”, consider throwing a Pirates of the Caribbean themed school ball. It’s a surprisingly budget-friendly theme to pull off and who doesn’t like to spend a night with Captain Jack Sparrow? Theme your food! A Pirates of the Caribbean party calls for coconut shrimp, skewers of tropical fruit (grilled, perhaps?), and vegetable “coins” with dip (slice cucumbers, carrots, radishes, or oven baked potatoes into circles). Are you ready to walk the plank?

Roman

Ancient Roman times were full of revelry and debauchery. There were gladiators, emperors and, most importantly, an overindulgence of food and drink. These themes make basing a party on the Roman times a lot of fun and very memorable. Make them look like an ancient Roman invitation to a gladiator match. Give all of the info in both Latin and English, and give the date and time of the party in Roman numerals. Have ancient Roman-themed games. Encourage your guests to dress the part, and give a door prize to the best-dressed Roman Centurion and Roman Empress. So put on your toga and get ready to gorge yourself on good times, just as the romans did.

Titanic

On April 14, 1912 one of the most famous disasters of modern times occurred, the sinking of the Titanic. The failure of that proclaimed unsinkable ship stills fascinates us to this date, made even more famous by two movies, A Night to Remember and Titanic. Many still like to salute those who sailed on that maiden and last voyage of this famous ship by hosting a grand dinner in the style enjoyed by the first class passengers aboard it. It can be a really fun theme with some rather easy but effective decorating. Make a boardwalk for the entrance way to your party. Add paper waves to make it feel more authentic. Have the tables set up in first class silverware style. And just hope the ship doesn’t sink this time around.

Under the Sea

Get transport twenty thousand leagues under the sea with this great theme. Sharks, fish and all sorts of other underwater creatures can turn out for a party this aquatic! Your underwater theme event can literally look like an aquarium or even the ocean. Just talk to your local event decorator and see what they can do. It will ignite the romances of all of your deep sea divers. Dress the tables and seats in various shades of blue and white. You can have sea inspired centrepieces including floating candles with sand and seashells. You could also serve punch and refreshments in fish bowls and really go all out for this great theme.

Winter Wonderland

Winter is here, time to wrap up warm and get cosy with someone by the fire. A Winter wonderland theme can be a fantastic idea. White will be the main colour of the event with a winter wonderland theme, this can be paired with virtually any other colour to add more excitement to your event. Adding fairy lights to the walkway and or even lanterns. Fake snow and white decorations, table dressings and centrepieces can really set off the whole winter wonderland theme. ‘Tis the season for a winter theme party! Bring the wonder and magic of winter to your school ball.

Wild West

What happens when a you mix the bad guys… the good guys… and a damsel in distress? A Wild West themed event that could knock your socks off! Bring a Western theme to life with a small town jail, wooden fences, farm animals and a saloon! In two corners of the room have a Western themed backlit silhouette panel with images of some heroes or villains from the Wild West era. Along the sides you can have 2 large steel troughs with hay along the sides which can be used for watering the horses or chilling a drink. Along the back wall of the room would be a back drop of a saloon bar with a wild west character cut out at either end of the back drop.

Willy Wonka

Did you win the Golden Ticket? Take a trip into the glorious world of Willy Wonka. Have a tour of the chocolate factory. Some great ideas and decorations can make this easily come alive! Through the striking Golden Gates and down the purple carpet and into the chocolate factory. Into Willy Wonka’s weird and wacky world you go! You can have cut-out oompa loompa’s and a chocolate and candy themed menu. Whether you want to capture the essence of the original story or bring it up to date, this theme can make for a fantastic night to be well remembered.